Poor Review Because I used AirCover

[DanielandSusan0]

I recently received superheat status, but right after I had a guest that damaged a very small item. I used AirCover to have her pay for it, as she denied that she or her guests damaged this item. We sent her pictures, and stuck to our guns. But, boy did that backfire! She turned around and left me a one star review. This has now really hurt my chances of maintaining my superheat status, as no matter how many 5 star reviews I have received since then, it's a very, very slow climb back up to the 4.8 I need come this April when I get evaluated again. I will never use AirCover again...though I imagine I am paying for it through AirBnB's fees. I called and spoke with at least 5 different reps, only one was sympathetic and agreed the review should be taken off. However, he was not the decider in this situation. This was a direct retaliation from a guest for calling her on the minor damage caused during her stay...a $50 charge. Because she didn't curse or call me names, AirBnb would not take off the 1 star review. Big lesson learned, let guests damage as much as they want, because you only cut your own throat to call them out on it and utilize AirCover.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@DanielandSusan0 We wouldn't even consider claiming from a guest for small items. As you have found out it is just not worth it. Most insurances have an excess to dissuade small claims and whilst Aircover doesn't perhaps hosts would benefit from pretending it does!

[Anonymous]

@DanielandSusan0   This is the moment when you realize that Superhost status is not some kind of award for excellence. Rather, the fear of losing it is a cudgel they use to beat hosts into avoiding damage claims and tolerating poor behavior and broken rules.  A fairer system might suspend star ratings for stays that involve disputes or early terminations, while leaving the written reviews in place. But fairness is not the point. 

Regardless, it goes without saying that any time you choose an action that displeases a guest, you have to weigh the benefits of doing so against the risk of unflattering reviews and ratings. 

Re: your more recent review from J******, which only says her stay was "perfect," I don't understand why you posted a public response saying she complained about the hot water. Maybe you mistook private feedback for public? Not sure how to put this delicately, but a pretty significant portion of your recent guests have been critical in their reviews, so if you lose Superhost this quarter, I doubt it will be solely because of that one claim. 

[Sarah977]

@DanielandSusan0 There are a certain amount of damages that you have to chalk up to general wear and tear. Trying to charge guests for small things they might break or damage is not a great idea. I saw in one of your revieew responses that you wanted compensation for a damaged toilet paper holder that was pulled off the wall. That's rather petty.

If you need to, up your nightly price by a few bucks, and put that money into a separate "small damages" fund.

Re that response about the hot water you left to a wholly positive review- only respond to what is mentioned in the public review. Your responses appear on your review page, not the guest's and they may never even see your response.  Your responses are read by future potential guests, so it doesn't make any sense to bring up things that aren't mentioned in the public review, draws attention to something other guests would never know about, and it just looks bad and strange to write some defensive or explanatory response to something not mentioned in the review, and especially so when a review says the place was perfect.

A response is meant to be just that- a response to what was written.

[Ray107]

You have to learn to "take a bath" once in awhile to please guests. That is the downside of Short term renting. There are ways to mitigate "blind reviews" which I learned over time but will not openly discuss here. The big picture is, Airbnb is making you a lot of money so eat the small stuff which I'm pretty sure you just learned the hard way. I learned the hard way too but back then I didn't even understand ratings or Superhost or anything. Now we have maintained Superhost for years - but it costs money!

[Robert202]

We need to raise this to Airbnb.  really not fair for hosts. especially  the damage is substantial.  

[Natalie243]

I know this post was over a year ago but I just wanted to say that until Airbnb fixes this flaw in their system, my response to damages is to be cordial but vague in communication with guests after their stay, and say something like thank you for staying with us, please remember to leave a review! Then, I leave my review of them- a very honest one- and I wait hoping that prompts them to want to leave theirs so that they can view my review. 9 times out of 10 they immediately review me right back, with my 5 stars, and then I open the case with Aircover. 

[Rachel2442]

Hello, 

I hope everyone in the thread comes back to read this, especially those who have received a bad review due to using AirCover. In Summary, Airbnb now has a system to combat retaliatory reviews! Even old reviews

I am a very new host (6 months). I had a guest that recently checked out and just didn't take care of the place. I heard about AirCover and thought that maybe I should use it this time. The request was for only $45 which I know now, to just suck it up since its so minimal. Anyhow I requested reimbursement from the guest and of course it backfired. The guest left me a 3-star review and I am weeks away from being considered a Superhost. I was filled with regret until I found this article: https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/a-simpler-way-to-dispute-retaliatory-reviews-552

Airbnb now has a system to combat retaliatory reviews. In my case, the guest publicly and explicitly said that their review would have been a 5-stars if I didn't request payment for the damaged items. I'm in the process now of trying to get that review taken off.  Send me a reply if your interested in hearing the aftermath, but I feel quite confident after reading the article that Airbnb will take care of this one.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Rachel2442 ,

Welcome to the Airbnb Community Center!

Do keep us posted on how it goes.